“Their aim is not to fight terrorism or counter [the use of] chemical bombs; their goal is domination, oppression, plunder and defending the Zionist regime [of Israel],” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said on the sidelines of a conference commemorating Iranian terror victims held in Tehran on Saturday.
Naqdi recalled how the US has been leading the war in Afghanistan which started with the 2001 invasion of the country under the pretext of removing the Taliban from power, saying that the occupation has inflicted widespread insecurity in the country.
The commander also condemned the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was carried out over alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction by executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime -- weapons that were never found. He said the occupation of the Arab country killed nearly one million people there and opened the gate for unrelenting violence.
“Today, under the pretext of chemical weapons they are seeking to deal a blow to the resistance in Syria,” he added.
The rhetoric of war against Syria primarily intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The US and its allies were quick to engage in a major publicity campaign to promote war against Syria despite the fact that Damascus categorically rejected the claim that it was behind the chemical attack.
Iran and a number of other countries have warned against the ramifications of a military strike against Syria, saying that the fallout from a military action would engulf the entire region.
